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MARCH 4
generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to bread? Do you not yet perceive nor under-
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you, no sign shall be given to this genera- stand? Is your heart still hardened? Having
tion.” eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you
13 And He left them, and getting into the boat not hear? And do you not remember? When I
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again, departed to the other side. Now the broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they how many baskets full of fragments did you
did not have more than one loaf with them in take up?”
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the boat. Then He charged them, saying, They said to Him, “Twelve.”
“Take heed, beware of the leaven of the 20 “Also, when I broke the seven for the four
Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” thousand, how many large baskets full of frag-
16 And they reasoned among themselves, ments did you take up?”
saying, “It is because we have no bread.” And they said, “Seven.”
17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, 21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not
“Why do you reason because you have no understand?”
DAY 3:What was the “leaven of the Pharisees and…of Herod”that Jesus warned about?
The skeptical Pharisees asked for a “sign from heaven”in Mark 8:11, demanding further mirac-
ulous proof of Jesus’ messianic claims. Not content with the countless miracles He had performed
on earth,they demanded some sort of astronomical miracle.Having already given them more than
enough proof, Jesus refused to accommodate their spiritual blindness.The supreme sign verifying
His claim to be the Son of God and Messiah was to be His resurrection (Matt. 16:39,40).
Jesus warned the disciples about “the leaven of the Pharisees and…of Herod.” “Leaven” is a
yeast that multiplies quietly and permeates all that it contacts.In the New Testament,“leaven”most
often symbolizes the evil influence of sin. The “leaven” of the Pharisees included both their false
teaching (Matt.16:12) and their hypocritical behavior (Luke 12:1).The “leaven”of Herod Antipas was
his immoral, corrupt conduct (see 6:17–29). The Pharisees and the Herodians were allied against
Christ (3:6).
To Jesus’amazement,the disciples completely missed His point,thinking He was talking about
physical bread. He was concerned with spiritual truth, not mundane physical matters. Jesus asks
them,“Is your heart still hardened?”(v.17),which implies that they were rebellious,spiritually insen-
sitive,and unable to understand spiritual truth.And He also reminded them of His ability to provide
anything they might lack.

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it, and give it to the one he has wronged. But
MARCH 4 if the man has no relative to whom restitution
may be made for the wrong, the restitution for
the wrong must go to the LORD for the priest,
in addition to the ram of the atonement with
Numbers 5:1–6:27
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which atonement is made for him. Every of-
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: fering of all the holy things of the children of
5 “Command the children of Israel that Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be
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they put out of the camp every leper, everyone his. And every man’s holy things shall be his;
who has a discharge, and whoever becomes whatever any man gives the priest shall be
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defiled by a corpse. You shall put out both his.’ ”
male and female; you shall put them outside 11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
the camp, that they may not defile their camps 12 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to
in the midst of which I dwell.” And the chil- them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and
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dren of Israel did so, and put them outside the behaves unfaithfully toward him, and a man
camp; as the LORD spoke to Moses, so the lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the
children of Israel did. eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that
5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, she has defiled herself, and there was no wit-
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6 “Speak to the children of Israel: ‘When a man ness against her, nor was she caught— if the
or woman commits any sin that men commit spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he
in unfaithfulness against the LORD, and that becomes jealous of his wife, who has defiled
person is guilty, then he shall confess the sin herself; or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon
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which he has committed. He shall make resti- him and he becomes jealous of his wife,
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tution for his trespass in full, plus one-fifth of although she has not defiled herself— then
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